‘That would be nice. Sometimes I wonder,’ Tim responded dryly, and Jaye laughed. Clearly the two men knew each other well. Maybe they wouldn’t notice if she slipped away.
She took a tentative step backwards and Jaye rounded on her. ‘Tim’s far too self-effacing. He’s helped us out with the planning on a lot of our projects.’
‘Caroline doesn’t see things that way,’ Tim joked. ‘She frisked me on the way in to make sure I wasn’t carrying any sharp objects.’
Jaye chuckled. ‘My mother has a much longer memory than I have.’
‘Ask him about the sticking plaster.’ Tim leaned confidingly towards Megan. ‘I’ll lay odds he hasn’t forgotten about that one.’
‘Sticking plaster?’ Megan forgot all about escape and turned to Jaye.
‘That was a very long time ago. When we were kids we decided to try our hands at covert surveillance, like we’d seen on TV. We rigged up a couple of voice recorders and taped them under our shirts...’
‘With the biggest roll of sticking plaster I’d ever seen. Jaye had obviously been taking lessons from his father about how to tape broken ribs, and was extremely thorough...’
‘I think I still have the scars from where my mother ripped it all off to see what was underneath.’ Jaye’s hand wandered to his chest, and Megan swallowed down the impulse to remind him that she was a nurse and could take a look at them if he wanted.
‘The worst thing was that we never actually managed to record anything. We’d put our jumpers and coats on, to hide all the lumps and bumps, and all you could hear was a bit of rustling, and then Caroline, asking us what on earth we were up to.’
Jaye quirked the sides of his mouth down. ‘Yes. That was a big disappointment.’
The image of two boys, play-acting and exploring in the winding corridors and vast rooms, floated into Megan’s mind. The Jaye who made use of the formal entrance and main staircase seemed to have lost something along the way. Or maybe it had been stolen from him. It seemed that Sonia had a lot to answer for.
‘More wine?’ Tim turned and picked up a bottle from the table.
‘No...thanks.’ Megan shielded the top of her glass with her hand. ‘I should go and see where Alice has got to...’ She looked around desperately, hoping that the friend she’d made during the conference wasn’t anywhere in sight.
Jaye was suddenly still and silent, as if this sudden glimpse at something like intimacy was too much for him too. Megan smiled at Tim and made her escape.
Chapter Four
MEGAN LOOKED STUNNING. So much so that Jaye had forgotten to issue the expected compliment about her appearance. She wore a plain dark blue dress, the sheen of which didn’t come close to matching the sheen of her hair, which was caught up loosely at the back of her head. High heels made her legs look even longer than they actually were. The only jewellery she wore, a heavy twisted silver bangle, was obviously one of a kind. She made everyone else here look as if they’d tried far too hard, and in doing so had lost the sartorial plot.
The string quartet had thrown off the precision of Bach and begun to play a selection of popular songs, all with their very own distinctive flavour. In response, Jaye’s father had spun his mother into an empty space at one end of the ballroom, creating an impromptu dancing area.
The idea that Jaye might do the same with Megan was...impossible. He wanted too much from her. Her scent. The feel of her hand on his shoulder. That slightly dizzy feeling that her smile engendered.
‘Very nice party.’ Tim broke his reverie.
‘Thanks. There are a few people I’d like you to meet...’ Jaye resolved the need to mingle with his suspicion that Tim would be standing alone in a corner of the room if he left him here. Tim didn’t do small talk, and if he’d found him with anyone other than Megan, it would have been a surprise to find his friend so relaxed and at ease.
‘Uh... Later? I’m getting a headache, I don’t suppose you have any paracetamol, do you?’
‘In the box in the kitchen. You know where the key is. Are you all right?’
Tim shot him a pained look. ‘Yes, I’m fine. Stop being such a doctor and go and do your duty as a host...’
* * *
Out of the range of Jaye’s smile Megan had begun to relax again. She’d found Alice and they’d joined the group of new friends, laughing and talking by the fireplace. It was almost an hour before Megan saw Jaye heading towards them, a bottle of red in one hand and a bottle of white in the other, obviously intent on refilling their glasses.
She slipped away. A little cool air on her face, maybe some water, would dispel the heat that she felt rising to her cheeks.
A few wrong turns and she found her way downstairs to the kitchen. The light was on, and Megan looked around, wondering if she’d disturbed someone else who was intent on escape.
No one. Megan fetched a glass from the cupboard and held it under the tap. Then the sound of a rasped breath reached her ears.
She jumped, looking around. Still no one. Maybe this place was haunted, only that wouldn’t account for anything because she didn’t believe in ghosts. She walked to the far end of the room, to a brick archway, finding that it led into a small alcove with a couple of easy chairs and a table.
Tim was sitting in one of the chairs, a half-empty glass of water and an open packet of paracetamol on the table in front of him. His eyes were closed and his breathing seemed laboured.
It occurred to Megan that maybe this was one last challenge, designed to test the group of doctors and nurses. But Jaye and Tim would hardly stage such a thing here, and anyway the conference was over now. When she walked over to Tim, touching the back of his hand, his eyes flickered open.
‘Megan...? What’s the matter?’
‘Are you all right?’ She didn’t wait for an answer, leaning forward to lay her hand on Tim’s forehead. He was burning up.
‘Just a twenty-four-hour flu bug. I thought I’d got the better of it, but it seems to have come on again. I’ll be okay in a minute—go back to the party.’ Tim reached groggily for the packet of paracetamol and Megan snatched it up from the table. Two tablets had already been broken from the blister pack, and if Tim had taken them she didn’t want him taking any more.
‘Will you stay here? Just for one moment?’
‘Yeah. Yeah, no problem.’ Tim’s eyes fluttered closed again. Megan turned, hurrying through the kitchen and upstairs to the ballroom. In a room which held more than its share of doctors, there was only one she wanted to find.
* * *
Jaye felt Megan’s touch on his arm, and the warm shiver that ran down his spine suddenly froze when he saw the look on her face. ‘Please come. It’s Tim, he’s ill.’
‘What’s the matter? He was complaining of a headache earlier...’ Jaye dumped the bottle he was holding on the mantelpiece and followed Megan, who was already making her way back out of the room.
‘He says it’s a twenty-four-hour flu. I’m not so sure about that.’
Jaye was much more disposed to trust Megan’s assessment of the situation than Tim’s. She stopped as she reached the main hallway, looking right and then left.
‘Where is he?’
‘In the main kitchen, downstairs.’
‘This way...’ Jaye laid his hand lightly on her back to guide her in the right direction, without thinking, feeling her jump as he touched her. Even now, as they hurried down to the kitchen, electricity was zinging in the air.
She led him to the snug room next to the kitchen. Tim was slumped in one of the chairs, and focussed his eyes on them with difficulty.
‘Oh, no... You didn’t bring the cavalry, did you?’
‘I’m afraid I did.’ Megan smiled at Tim and then turned to Jaye. ‘He had this open packet of paracetamol, and he’s obviously had some water. I don’t know what he’s already taken, so I stopped him from t
aking any more.’
‘Okay. There’s a log in the medicine cabinet. Sit with him while I check.’ Jaye took the blister pack from her hand, walking back into the kitchen.
When he returned, Megan was sitting on the low table in front of Tim. She’d pushed his cuff back and curled her fingers around his wrist. The clock on the mantelpiece ticked loudly in the silence.
‘Your pulse is steady. Maybe a little fast.’ Megan’s warmth was like a tangible presence in the room, and Jaye almost envied his friend.
She was making no fuss, using her own observations to guide her. Jaye knew it was exactly the right approach to take with Tim, but Megan seemed to have come to that conclusion after only a brief conversation with him.
‘You don’t want to catch this... I thought I had it licked, but it’s got a sting in its tail.’ Tim managed to summon up some of his former determination to be left alone, and Megan thwarted it with a look of mild rebuke.
‘You said earlier you were just back from Africa. Six weeks ago.’
‘That’s past the usual incubation time for malaria...’ Tim had clearly divined the direction that Megan was moving in, and waved his hand towards Jaye. ‘Ask my friend over there. He’s a doctor.’
‘You’ve taken two of these?’ Jaye held the blister pack up. The log in the medicine cabinet had indicated a full box of paracetamol and there were two missing from the blister pack.
‘That was a while ago...’
Tim reached for the blister pack, and Megan caught his hand. ‘You don’t need any more, Tim. Just sit quietly.’
‘You think it might be malaria?’ Jaye murmured.
Megan reddened, as if she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t, turning her gaze up towards him. ‘I didn’t say that.’
Jaye supposed that, as the doctor in attendance, he ought to take over now. But Megan was doing fine on her own—a lot better than fine. She’d thought to take the paracetamol away from Tim before he took another dose, and her firm but gentle way seemed to be working with his friend, who was notoriously unwilling to do anything the doctor told him.
‘You know what to look for.’ He stepped back, motioning for Megan to carry on with her examination.
Megan nodded, laying her hand on Tim’s chest. ‘You have a bit of a wheeze there. When did you say this started?’
‘Tuesday...no, Wednesday. I was over it by Thursday lunchtime.’
‘Three days ago.’ Megan seemed to realise that the best way to get Tim to co-operate was to tell him exactly what was going on.
‘I’ve been home for six weeks...nearly seven.’ Tim started to shiver. He was obviously feeling very ill, and his tone was probably sharper than he’d meant it to be. But Megan didn’t waver.
‘Plasmodium Malariae can take up to forty-nine days to incubate and has different symptoms from the other types of malaria.’ She glanced up at Jaye and he nodded. ‘I think we might look at it as a possibility. Particularly as you may have some level of immunity from the amount of time you’re spent in regions where it’s endemic.’
She reached for the throw that was draped across the back of the chair and tucked it around Tim. Just the right mixture of care and cajoling.
‘Yeah. S’pose so...’
‘In which case we should get you a blood test as soon as possible, then we’ll know for sure. If it’s flu, I’ll be happy for you to say that you told me so.’
‘And if it’s malaria, you’ll tell me you told me so.’ Tim managed a smile.
‘I’ll forgo that pleasure, on condition you take the drugs to get it cleared up.’
Tim nodded. ‘Perhaps the doctor will make himself useful and give us a lift.’
Megan reddened again. ‘We should see what Jaye thinks...’ Her gaze found Jaye, a look of clear apology on her face.
That wasn’t needed. Megan had done exactly the right thing, and she’d charmed Tim into facing the possibilities that he must have already been aware of.
‘I’ll go and get my bag. And call my father.’
Tim groaned. ‘Oh, please. Surely we don’t need any more reinforcements, do we? People get malaria all the time...’
Jaye chuckled, turning away. He imagined that Megan could handle Tim while he was gone.
* * *
It was extraordinary. Five years ago, when she’d seen him at the hospital, Jaye had hardly seemed to notice anyone as lowly as a nurse. But now he was allowing her to take charge and examine his friend.
He must have a reason to act so completely out of character. Then the idea occurred to Megan that maybe he wasn’t acting out of character, that she’d been wrong about him all along. That was a little too delicious to contemplate right now.
‘It’s probably best to go to Gloucester Central.’ Raj had checked Megan’s observations and was writing a referral note for the hospital. ‘They have the facilities for out-of-hours testing, so they can get the blood test done tomorrow.’
He tore the sheet from his pad and handed it to Megan. ‘Make sure the doctor gets this, won’t you? I don’t want him listening to Tim and sending him home with a flu diagnosis.’
‘Doctors...’ Tim muttered under his breath. His cheeks were flushed with fever and he was grumbling quietly. ‘Give me a nurse any day.’
‘My sentiments entirely.’ Jaye shot Megan a grin that made her stomach turn somersaults, and then twitched at the throw that covered Tim’s legs. Tim protested, grabbing it tightly.
‘Come on. Let’s get you to the car.’
* * *
Megan had given Raj’s letter to the doctor at the hospital, who had read the few paragraphs in instalments, stopping every now and then to turn his attention somewhere else.
‘Dr Perera has extensive experience with tropical diseases.’ She tapped her finger on the top of the letter to draw the doctor’s attention back from the Saturday evening bustle that was going on around them, and Jaye allowed himself to smile. She was unshakeable.
‘In that case... I assume the patient’s been abroad?’
‘Yes, six weeks ago. As you’ll see from Dr Perera’s letter.’
‘Yes, of course.’ The doctor gave up the unequal struggle and focussed entirely on Megan for a moment. ‘I agree that admitting him for tests would be wise. You’re his wife?’
The doctor could be forgiven for thinking that. It had taken Megan just an hour or so to build up the kind of trust with Tim that looked as if they’d known each other for years.
‘No. His partner is on his way.’ Megan had dealt with that, too. She’d countered Tim’s protests with the observation that if it were her partner on his way to hospital, there would be hell to pay afterwards if she hadn’t received a call. Tim had acquiesced and had asked Jaye to call David.
‘Okay... Good. Next of kin?’
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake. I’m hardly going to die...’ Tim roused himself from the doze he’d fallen into and Megan turned towards him.
‘Red tape. You know all about that, don’t you?’ Her smile placated Tim and his head fell back onto the pillow.
‘David Foreman. Same address as the patient.’ Jaye supplied the necessary information, and the doctor hurried away.
‘Don’t work for this guy. Come and work for me, I need a nurse.’ Tim reached for Megan’s hand.
‘You do not.’ Indignation flashed through Jaye.
‘It’s tempting...’ Megan paused for a moment, clearly pretending to think about it. ‘But I’m very happy with the job I have. And my current employer.’
That was a turn-up for the books. If the last four days had accomplished nothing else, it seemed that Megan was finally beginning to trust him. Jaye hid his elation, throwing his friend an amused glare.
‘You heard the lady. Just rest, will you.’
‘Hmm. Thought I’d give it a try.’ Tim moved fitfully on the bed, ob
viously uncomfortable, and then his hand flew to his mouth. Somehow Megan managed to find a cardboard dish and hold it in front of him before he started to vomit.
* * *
Jaye had wondered whether Megan would want to leave now, but she insisted they stay until David arrived. Tim’s partner walked into the cubicle half an hour later, in a state of barely concealed panic.
‘What’s he been up to now?’
‘It could be nothing. Just a nasty dose of flu.’ Jaye stayed silent, and Megan answered.
‘Okay, you’ve given me the good news...’
Megan smiled. ‘The bad news isn’t that bad. It could be malaria and the hospital’s going to run some tests tomorrow.’
‘Malaria?’ David puffed out a breath, running his hand across the top of his head. ‘Can they treat that? I’m an English teacher, all I know about malaria is from Victorian novels.’
‘Medicine’s come a long way since then. If the tests show that Tim does have malaria, the doctors will be able to tell you what type and offer the relevant treatment.’
‘Right. Thanks.’ David sat down by the side of the bed. ‘What do I need to do now?’
‘Just be with him. The porters will be along in a moment to take him up to the ward. He’s being well looked after, and he’ll be feeling much better soon. Make sure he does what he’s told, though.’
‘Oh, yes. He’s going to do exactly as he’s told.’ David looked up at Jaye. ‘Thanks for picking this up. I thought he just had flu. I never would have imagined it might be malaria.’
‘You have Megan to thank for that. I just drove.’
Again, that look of embarrassed apology flashed across Megan’s face. David turned to her and she smiled at him.
‘Thank you, Megan, I appreciate it. I dare say that Tim will when he’s feeling a bit better.’ David knew better than anyone that Tim could be stubborn.
‘He’s been a model patient.’ Megan grinned and David smiled suddenly.
‘Yeah. I believe that one...’
Forbidden Night with the Duke Page 4